I’ve had a few days to digest Calgary’s latest hate march.  I don’t like to give ignorant racist groups that much time or attention, but I recognize that putting my head in the sand doesn’t make it go away.

Here’s the thing… it’s okay to be proud to be white if, in doing so, you include other groups.  For example… it’s okay to be proud to be a white Italian at your Italian cultural celebration if you are planning on including other groups in your celebration.  That’s a good thing.  If you message is, “I’m _______, come see how my people are different and share in our culture,” then it’s okay.

The message in Calgary this weekend was, “I’m WHITE, come see how we’re better than others and get the hell out of my country.”  That’s not inclusive.  That’s ignorant.

The Aryan Guard seems to think they’re just as entitled to “pride” as any other community.  Sadly, they don’t know what pride is.

Do you think about the statement you’re making when you spend money?

Do you remember the “Made in the USA” campaign geared to get people to buy locally made merchandise. It turned out, people weren’t willing to spend more money to protect jobs in the US. Buying cheaper merchandise made in China was more appealing than the helping people in the local community earn decent wages or even maintain employment.

This is why I won’t shop at Wal-Mart. As you may or may not know, Wal-Mart has so much purchasing power, they can literally close factories in the US and move them overseas. Losing a deal with Wal-Mart could be considered a commercial catastrophe. So, companies do what they can to keep the Big Blue Box happy. If that means firing 400 people and crippling the economy of a town, so be it. Bring on the LOW PRICES!

This isn’t really a message targeted at Wal-Mart. Most stores use buying power to garner more competitive prices, but Wal-Mart has taken it to a whole new level. Still, we’re faced with these choices all the time.

Here’s an easy exercise you can do to see the effect of buying products produced locally or in Canada, at least. Go to a Farmers’ Market and buy goods off local producers. You’ll be giving money to people in your community and you’ll instantly boost the economy. The same can be said for drinking your local craft beer at the pub.

Think of what happens when you loan a pal $100 to help him out. It makes his life easier and better and he’s able to be more productive and do something for you in the future.

Read the labels. Buying locally makes a big difference. It’s worth spending the money.

The Americans may be having such a hard time pitching democracy around the world because of how confusing it looks on their own TV.

For staters, it takes forever to figure out who to vote for.  That’s a drawn out process if ever there was one.

Now, the Dems are entering the homestretch and a clear leader still hasn’t emerged.  Hillary went into the Ohio, Texas, and Rhode Island contests with basically a do-or-die situation and pulled it off.  It looks like neither Obama or Clinton will have the required 2024 delegates needed by convention time, which brings us to the topic of this post.

SUPERDELEGATES!!!!!

Who are these people and what do they do?

Superdelegates are current or former elected officeholders and party officials of the Democrats.  Unlike the delegates we hear about in the primaries and caucuses, superdelegates are free to support whichever candidate they choose for the nomination.

Ugh… this is still confusing.

Here:

Superdelegates are people who get to vote at the convention for whomever they choose.  There are 770 (ish) of them who will cast their ballot either way come convention time.  This is important because, at this moment, Obama leads Clinton with 1257 pledged delegates to Clinton’s 1127.  That’s a close race and by the look of things, it’s a race that will be decided by those elite superdelegates.

Phew.  I thought that would clear things up.  Probably not, though.

A lot of people look at the voter turnout and shake their heads and wag the fingers at those who don’t go to the polls. In Alberta, something like 40% of people voted the PCs to a landslide victory. 73 seats is quite a mandate.

What about the other 60%?

It’s easy to say that they didn’t care enough to vote. (In a million years, I’m not going to buy the “too busy excuse.” You’re employer HAS TO give you time off if you otherwise don’t have time in your day. Furthermore, you should be able plan a 15 minute task with a month’s notice.) The reality may not be laziness at all. Maybe that 60% pulled into the driveway of the home they own after working a lucrative job for eight hours and thought to themselves, “I see no need to vote. Things are ducky as they are.”

Yeah, I know. It’s the wrong idea and not the best use of the political process, but it’s probably a fairly honest reflection of the mentality of your average Albertan.

The result, a huge majority, is indicative of what Albertans want; an economy that will continue to grow while news of an American recession dominates the business pages.

It was a truly boring election with few issues worth remembering. In the end, Ed Stelmach looks better than anybody could have imagined.

Here’s a confession. I get emotional when I vote. I don’t break down and cry, but I feel it inside. I feel proud. I feel lucky. I feel like the leaders want to know what I believe.

Today, I believe that Alberta is the strongest jurisdiction in North America and one of the best economies in the world. I also believe that the dramatic influx of people here will see that this is an excellent place to live.

What I hope, is different. I hope that things will stay the same, but that we’ll trade in the buzz word “change” for the more appropriate “innovation.” I hope that we’ll fearlessly move forward with alternatives geared for tomorrow.

I’m a big fan of fiscal conservatism. We don’t need people who can spend more money. We need people who can revolutionize the thought process. New thinking… isn’t that what this is about?